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Christians certainly know the major days that are celebrated or felt to be holy in their faith: Christmas, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Easter. But even to good Christians, several other days often remain a little unclear as to exactly what is commemorated: Epiphany, Shrove Tuesday, Maundy Thursday, and Pentecost.

It is the latter day, Pentecost, occurring seven weeks or 50 days following Easter, that church-goers will celebrate on Sunday. And this year in Tallahassee, leaders of two Apostolic groups who will conduct full-throated gatherings of the faithful, say they hope the services will include, “hundreds” of worshippers and that all are welcome.

But first, what is Pentecost? According to Acts, as well as the Gospel of Luke, Pentecost was the time when following the Resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Disciples and Mary in the Upper Room. They may have been celebrating an ancient festival of the Jewish calendar commemorating the giving to Moses of the Ten Commandments.

There, those gathered found themselves overcome by a great rushing sound, a wind, and then the ability to speak in languages not their own and to understand foreign tongues. Pentecostal believers, a Christian denomination, hold that this ability was one of nine gifts, including prophecy, miracles, knowledge, and healing, that demonstrate evidence of the entering of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Kurt Dawson, from Greater Life Apostolic Church in Thomasville, Georgia, is one of the organizers of the Big Bend Apostolic Ministerial Alliance (BBAMA), a joining together of 18 churches which will conduct what he calls, “an old-time revival” at the 700-seat Philadelphia Primitive Baptist Church in Tallahassee. It will include a “huge combined choir” and preaching by Pastor Wilhelmina Williams from Port St. Joe. Pastor Dawson says that “all comers are welcome. There will be ‘balm in Gilead’,” meaning healing for the soul and the spirit. And, with a joyful ring to his voice, he says that “The church is the hospital, and the Doctor will be in!”

Apostolics are Pentecostals who adhere to somewhat stricter practices than others. Often, women don’t cut their hair, wear pants, or apply makeup. Men, as well, wear conservative clothes and keep their hair short. But when it comes to praise, all Pentecostal believers are lively and out of their seats.

At about the same time as the Philadelphia PBC service, another music-filled Pentecostal celebration will take place at the Cascades Park amphitheater.

Pastor Daniel Huba from the Apostles Apostolic Church of Tallahassee will welcome guest preacher, Victor Jackson from Belleview, Florida. With a massed choir from across the state, Huba expects worshippers from as far away as Tampa and Atlanta. “We want to bring the church outside its four walls and invite everyone to come worship with us. The Holy Ghost descended on men in ancient times, why would He withhold It from us now?”

As with the BBAMA gathering, Huba promises, hand-clapping, lively music, and yes, speaking in tongues as worshipers are filled with the Holy Spirit.